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  • SIR NEVILLE MARRINER MAKES HIS WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL DEBUT AS HE RETURNS TO LEAD THE LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC IN MENDELSSOHN, MOZART AND ROSSINI
  • Feb. 1, 2007
  • Philharmonic Principal Concertmaster Martin Chalifour is Soloist

    THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 1, AND FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2007, AT 8 PM

    SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2007, AT 2 PM

    February 1 is Sponsored by Fidelity Investments

    February 2 Sponsor is Acura with Media Sponsor K-Mozart

    Sir Neville Marriner, one of the great British conductors of today, returns to lead the Los Angeles Philharmonic in his Walt Disney Concert Hall debut on Thursday, February 1, at 8 p.m., in a program of Rossini's The Italian Girl in Algiers Overture, Mozart's Violin Concerto No. 5, performed by Martin Chalifour, and Mendelssohn's Symphony No. 3, "Scottish." The program repeats on Friday, February 2 at 8 p.m. and Saturday, February 3 at 2 p.m. Chalifour has served as the Philharmonic's principal concertmaster since 1995.

    Marriner's contribution to the world of music remains unsurpassed and he is among the most prolific recording artists in the world. He is the founder and director of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields in London, and was the first conductor fothe Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra. He has recorded the complete Mozart edition on the Philips label; and was Conductor and Music Director for the motion picture Amadeus, for which the soundtrack received three Grammy Awards.

    Upbeat Live pre-concert events take place in BP Hall one hour prior to each concert at Walt Disney Concert Hall, and are free to all ticket holders. Christopher Russell, conductor and music educator, is moderator.

    SIR NEVILLE MARRINER was born in Lincoln, England, and studied at the Royal College of Music and the Paris Conservatoire. He began his professional life as a violinist, first in a string quartet and trio, then in the London Symphony Orchestra, during which time he founded the Academy of St. Martin in the Fields with a small group of friends in 1959. He directed the ensemble from the concertmaster's seat until the repertoire demanded larger forces, whereupon he relinquished his violin and took up the baton. In 1969 he left the London Symphony Orchestra and founded the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, at the same time extending the repertoire of the Academy and guest conducting symphony orchestras around the world. He has served as Music Director of the Minnesota Orchestra and Principal Conductor of the Sudwest Deutsche Rundfunk Orchestra in Stuttgart. During this time Marriner produced about 20 records a year. Marriner eventually relinquished the duties of music directorships to concentrate on the Academy and on guest conducting. He made his opera debut conducting The Marriage of Figaro at the Aix-en-Provence Festival and his U.S. opera debut conducting La Cenerentola at Los Angeles Opera followed by a Salzburg Mozarteum production of Il re pastore, which was televised; he also had a long-standing relationship with the Lyon Opera. He tours regularly with the Academy to the Far East, South America, as well as Germany, Spain, Switzerland, Italy, and Austria. He has twice been honored for services to music in his own country and in Germany, France, and Sweden, and holds many honorary degrees in the U.S., the Far East, and at home.

    Violinist MARTIN CHALIFOUR began his tenure as Principal Concertmaster of the Los Angeles Philharmonic in 1995. The recipient of various grants and awards in his native Canada, he graduated with honors from the Montreal Conservatory at the age of 18 and then moved to Philadelphia to pursue studies at the Curtis Institute of Music. In 1986 Chalifour received a Certificate of Honor at the Tchaikovsky Competition in Moscow; he was a laureate of the Montreal International Competition the following year. Since then he has concertized extensively, playing hundreds of concerto performances from a repertoire of more than 50 works. He has appeared as soloist with conductors such as Pierre Boulez, Andrew Davis, Charles Dutoit, Christoph Eschenbach, and Esa-Pekka Salonen. Outside the U.S., he has appeared as a guest soloist with the Auckland Philharmonic, the Montreal Symphony, the Hong Kong Philharmonic, the Queensland Symphony (Brisbane, Australia), and the Malaysian Philharmonic, among others. Chalifour is a frequent guest at several summer music festivals, including the Mainly Mozart Festival in San Diego, the Sarasota Music Festival, and the Ottawa International Music Festival. Maintaining close ties with his native Quebec, he recently appeared as soloist with the Quebec Symphony, with Yoav Talmi conducting. For the past two summers he has performed several chamber music concerts with cellist Lynn Harrell at the Amelia Island Festival in Florida and at the Madison Chamber Music Festival in Georgia. Chalifour and two of his Philharmonic colleagues, Joanne Pearce Martin and Peter Stumpf, recently joined forces and formed the Los Angeles Philharmonic Piano Trio to explore the wonderful repertoire written for this combination. The trio performed Beethoven's Triple Concerto at the Hollywood Bowl in September 2005. Chalifour is a professor at the University of Southern California's Thornton School of Music.

    The Los Angeles Philharmonic Association, under Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen, presents the finest in orchestral and chamber music, recitals, new music, jazz, world music and holiday concerts at two of the most remarkable places anywhere to experience music - Walt Disney Concert Hall and the Hollywood Bowl. In addition to a 30-week winter subscription season at Walt Disney Concert Hall, the LA Phil presents a 12-week summer festival at the legendary Hollywood Bowl, summer home of the Los Angeles Philharmonic and home of the Hollywood Bowl Orchestra. In fulfilling its commitment to the community, the Association's involvement with Los Angeles extends to educational programs, community concerts and children's programming, ever seeking to provide inspiration and delight to the broadest possible audience.

    EDITORS PLEASE NOTE:

    THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 2007, 8 PM

    FRIDAY, FEBRUARY 2, 2007, 8 PM

    SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 3, 2007, 2 PM


    WALT DISNEY CONCERT HALL, 111 S. Grand Avenue, Los Angeles

    LOS ANGELES PHILHARMONIC

    SIR NEVILLE MARRINER, Conductor

    MARTIN CHALIFOUR, Violin

    ROSSINI The Italian Girl in Algiers Overture

    MOZART Violin Concerto No. 5

    MENDELSSOHN Symphony No. 3, "Scottish"

    Upbeat Live pre-concert events take place in BP Hall one hour prior to each concert at Walt Disney Concert Hall, and are free to all ticket holders. Christopher Russell, conductor and music educator, is moderator.

    February 1 is Sponsored by Fidelity Investments

    February 2 Sponsor is Acura with Media Sponsor K-Mozart. Complimentary parking is being offered to all Acura vehicles entering Walt Disney Concert Hall for that concert. Also, all members of the audience are welcome to enjoy desserts and coffee immediately after the concert, courtesy of Acura.

    Tickets ($15 - 135) are on sale now online at LAPhil.com, at the Walt Disney Concert Hall Box Office, or via credit card phone order at 323.850.2000. When available, choral bench seats ($15) will be released for sale to selected Philharmonic, Colburn Celebrity Recital, and Baroque Variations performances beginning at noon on the Tuesday of the second week prior to the concert. A limited number of $10 rush tickets for seniors and full time students may be available at the Walt Disney Concert Hall Box Office two hours prior to the performance. Valid identification is required; one ticket per person; cash only. Groups of 12 or more may be eligible for special discounts for selected concerts and seating areas. For all information, please call 323.850.2000.

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  • Contact:

    Adam Crane, acrane@laphil.org, 213.972.3408; Rachelle Roe, rroe@laphil.org, 213.972.7310; Photos: 213.972.3034